Trying to eat, constantly hitting a wall

I've been pretty trying to gain weight for a while know. In September I was at 113. Now I'm at 130 and really proud of my progress. The problem is now I'm hitting a wall. It felt like before I could just eat without stopping. Now I get to meal 4 and protein shake 2 and feel my stomach threaten to leave if I eat one more bite. Then I wake up the next morning and I'm smaller than I was the previous morning.I think max I for to was 133 beforei couldn't eat for like a day. Is there a way you eat more, not feel like shit in the process, and also gain muscle?

Is your profile correct, that you are 5'0"? 130 pounds may be your ideal weight right now. Increase your carb intake if you want to gain weight. And if your stomach is overloading, drop the protein shakes in favor of carbs - lots of breads, pasta, potatoes, rice, etc. But continue to exercise, 3-4 times a week max, and do weights for muscle gain.

That's a false dichotomy -- you can have both. You can even combine both.

You can include in your shake several high calorie ingredients that are natural, low GI, plenty of vitamins... Examples of such ingredients that blend well in a mixer: coconut meat, oatmeal, chia seeds, bananas, açaí, honey...

A shake is real food, the only difference is the fact you can drink it and that you don't need a big appetite to consume it. Mix whey with other ingredients and you'll have a natural weight gainer that won't be filled with maltodextrin, artificial colorants, flavors, conservatives, etc

ElusiveTechy saidI've been pretty trying to gain weight for a while know. In September I was at 113. Now I'm at 130 and really proud of my progress. The problem is now I'm hitting a wall. It felt like before I could just eat without stopping. Now I get to meal 4 and protein shake 2 and feel my stomach threaten to leave if I eat one more bite. Then I wake up the next morning and I'm smaller than I was the previous morning.I think max I for to was 133 beforei couldn't eat for like a day. Is there a way you eat more, not feel like shit in the process, and also gain muscle?

Add heavy squats to your workout. Squats stimulate the production of growth hormone. You will feel like eating more.

I dietician in my public speaking class said if you want to gain weight eat peanut butter. Try a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before going to bed. I am on the other end of this spectrum. I ate a small pumpkin pie over two days over Thanksgiving and gained 3 lbs. Dropped two of it. I am only at ideal weight because of dieting and running.

Do you really need to gain weight? Some of us are naturally slim and our bodies just don't want to put on more weight. We don't all have the same body type and that shouldn't be a problem. If you are strong for your weight you are probably fine.

buddycat saidI dietician in my public speaking class said if you want to gain weight eat peanut butter. Try a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before going to bed. I am on the other end of this spectrum. I ate a small pumpkin pie over two days over Thanksgiving and gained 3 lbs. Dropped two of it. I am only at ideal weight because of dieting and running.

FRE0 saidDo you really need to gain weight? Some of us are naturally slim and our bodies just don't want to put on more weight. We don't all have the same body type and that shouldn't be a problem. If you are strong for your weight you are probably fine.

I now note the OP has amended his RJ profile to show a height of 5'7", up from his earlier 5'0". In that case, 130 pounds is indeed a bit slim. And his September weight of 113 at age 25 was likely unhealthy. He does need some weight gain.

I was 5'8" when I entered the US Army, weighing 135 pounds at age 20, comparable to the OP. I was already in good shape, being a very competitive tennis player, and a long-distance bicyclist.

But eating 3 big mess hall meals a day (with some C-rats in the field), which I never did at home, brought me up to 147 by my 6th week. It was almost scary, but I remained EXACTLY 147 pounds for the next 20 years in the Army. You may be right about our bodies regulating our ideal weight, under otherwise favorable conditions.

It wasn't until I hit my 40s that I started to see some weight creep, reaching 155 when I retired at 45. Perhaps our OP just needs to eat 3 good meals a day, like I did, with lots of carbs, and forget the protein shakes. Shakes which take up GI space at the expense of other foods, while providing no weight gains.

FRE0 saidDo you really need to gain weight? Some of us are naturally slim and our bodies just don't want to put on more weight. We don't all have the same body type and that shouldn't be a problem. If you are strong for your weight you are probably fine.

I kinda do. I'm actually 5'7", not 5'0" and I freeze my ass off during the winter. It's not the best feeling. Thing is I already eat a lot of carbs. I have rice and/or pasta at least twice a day. I try to start my mornings with a fruit smoothie and two chicken empanadas, sometimes oatmeal. I pretty much started drink protein shakes as a way to fill in between when I can't constantly eat food. But it's after 2 weeks of this, I hit a wall and I can't eat anymore, nor can I even work out. And then bam, 3-4 pounds gone. I eventually recover them if I go back to the "stuff myself" diet but, somehow I feel like the "gain 8 lose 5" method isn't normal.

To drive your appetite, you need to have an understanding of the role that insulin plays in anabolism, and blood sugar. It's the shuttle hormone, but... it also drives your blood sugar lower, and, as an effect, your appetite follows.

I.e., aside from eating real food (solid protein, complex carbs, poly and mono fats), you can throw some fast carbs in to "push" nutrition into your cells. Fast carbs cause your blood sugar to rise quickly, and insulin follows. That is, if you eat sweets, it'll literally make you hungrier. (Part of why fat asses, get and stay fat, and...are constantly hungry.) Now, too much sugars can be damaging to your heart, so, you have to sit on the fence between being anabolic, storing fat, and driving hunger. As much as anything, hunger levels are driven by blood sugar. There are other mental and biological things at work, but, it's mostly around blood sugar.

You can add some saturated fats (think pizza, beef, etc.) and you'll get more calorie dense food. We need some saturated fat, but, too much is hard on a lot of your body's systems.

If you eat cleanly, it's hard to get enough calories for gains. In my case, I'm when I was younger, I grew up eating meat and potatoes, but, very little fried food. I'm now in my 40'th year of lifting / cardio. When I was 17, I was 5'5" and 175. Now, I get as heavy as 230#. Genes are important as a factor, but, ... as much as anything gaining weight is about getting enough good calories.

You need to be eating good nutritious, solid, food, at least 4 times a day. The shakes are o.k. for adding calories.

I assure you, if you eat more calories than you consume, you WILL gain weight. You can't fear food.

You can "dirty bulk" on the "see food" diet. You may pickup some fat, but, you'll gain.

At 54, without really trying to hard, I carry 195 to 205. My genes are very good. 130 is o.k., but, I suspect you just plain aren't consuming enough calories.

I get really nauseous, like my body telling me there is no more room for food. Gagging if I continue, but then I'll feel fine with not eating for like 12 hours. But when I do get hungry, I'll only be able to a small snack. I'll still feel full, but I'll jump on the scam the next day and I'm down 3 pounds.

FRE0 saidDo you really need to gain weight? Some of us are naturally slim and our bodies just don't want to put on more weight. We don't all have the same body type and that shouldn't be a problem. If you are strong for your weight you are probably fine.

I kinda do. I'm actually 5'7", not 5'0" and I freeze my ass off during the winter. It's not the best feeling. Thing is I already eat a lot of carbs. I have rice and/or pasta at least twice a day. I try to start my mornings with a fruit smoothie and two chicken empanadas, sometimes oatmeal. I pretty much started drink protein shakes as a way to fill in between when I can't constantly eat food. But it's after 2 weeks of this, I hit a wall and I can't eat anymore, nor can I even work out. And then bam, 3-4 pounds gone. I eventually recover them if I go back to the "stuff myself" diet but, somehow I feel like the "gain 8 lose 5" method isn't normal.

I'm 5'9" and weigh 133#, which puts me right into the middle of the recommended weight range for my height. Of course the tables are only a generalization and it doesn't make sense to think that they are right for everyone. With your hypercaloric diet, it's surprising that you aren't gaining.

Try setting up an account on "myfitnesspal.com". You, set goals for weight loss or gain, and tweak your rations of "Carbs" "Protein" and "Fat" until you find what works for you. myfitnesspal also graphs your calories, exercise minutes, weight change - which I find helpful.

... add 1/4 cup of your favorite shelled nuts every day.... treat yourself to a nicely marbled steak once a week.... use small portions (an ounce or less) strong flavored cheese to add flavor to scrambled eggs or omelets. My favorites are extra-sharp cheddar, blue and gorgonzola.... a cup (8 oz) of edamame has 9 grams of fat, 9 grams of fiber and only 4 grams of fat. try some of that as a small meal.

Speaking of small meals...

Instead of a big breakfast have two:

First Breakfast: 1 egg, 3tbs of egg whites, one ounce cheddar - scrambled together & 1/2 an English muffin with jam or butter.

from 113 to 130 in 2 months in 3 months is already good. Give it time. Dont underestimate your system, gaining weight for skinny people is as hard as losing it for fat people: it s a lot of work, and it may take several months to see results.

type saidfrom 113 to 130 in 2 months in 3 months is already good. Give it time. Dont underestimate your system, gaining weight for skinny people is as hard as losing it for fat people: it s a lot of work, and it may take several months to see results.

I tend to forget that. It's just after being twinky, bone skinny for so long, I kinda wanted out of that look fast.

FredPDX saidIn hopes of a different, off the wall helpful answer [...]

Wow, just want to thank both of you for your extended posts there--lots of great wisdom that I was happy to read, and am gonna be happy to incorporate into my own plan.

A lot of folks go for the simple, short and somewhat snarky "eat more", which is helpful to people who are already focused and on track. But some folks (like me) want equally to know not just 'what and how' to do something, but 'why' it works in the first place.

So seeing posts like what the two of yours put is great! You take the time to go into the how's and the why's, and it helps provide a clearer understand of the way things work, what to start, what to maintain or what to change. So, again, thank you both for sharing!

FredPDX saidIn hopes of a different, off the wall helpful answer [...]

Wow, just want to thank both of you for your extended posts there--lots of great wisdom that I was happy to read, and am gonna be happy to incorporate into my own plan.

A lot of folks go for the simple, short and somewhat snarky "eat more", which is helpful to people who are already focused and on track. But some folks (like me) want equally to know not just 'what and how' to do something, but 'why' it works in the first place.

So seeing posts like what the two of yours put is great! You take the time to go into the how's and the why's, and it helps provide a clearer understand of the way things work, what to start, what to maintain or what to change. So, again, thank you both for sharing!